DanChurchAid 2008 danchurchaid. PHOTO KIT HALDING Contents Good Will Volunteers,3 advocates and popular relations Partnership4 and rights Around the5 world DanChurch6Aid Annual accounts12 14 EDITOR | Linda Nordahl Jakobsen TRANSLATION | Gitte Munk Hindberg COVER PHOTOS | Mikkel Østergaard and Kit Halding DESIGN | Kit Halding, Anne Mousten PRINT | Jønsson ISBN | 978-87-91972-08-9 DANCHURCHAID © 2008 In 2007 drought, rain and More and more companies have floods consecutively af- either supported or entered into fected large areas in Sub-Sa- cooperation with DanChurchAid, haran Africa and South Asia, among others Coop with whom we whereas a forceful hurrica- established the charity bag and ne struck Central America. the refund button together with DanChurchAid and its part- UNICEF Denmark. ners quickly and effectively Through our mutual campaign “Stop responded with emergency cluster bombs now” DanChurchAid and relief aid in many of the and the Danish Red Cross have pro- countries which were af- cured more than 6,000 signatures, fected by minor and major requesting Denmark to ban the disasters. dreadful cluster weapons. Internati- Quick and effective emer- onal research has shown that 98 per gency aid is – just as the cent of people killed or mutilated by long-term development aid – only possible because so many cluster bombs are civilians – mainly in Denmark actively support DanChurchAid’s work. children and farmers. The Anders As demonstrated through the parish collection where thou- and Anne campaign focused on the sands of volunteers helped in the organisation and the door- dangerous land mines and raised to door collection throughout the country. more than one million DKK for mine As demonstrated when the Denmark Collection in 2007 for clearance in DR Congo. the first time appeared on the Danish Broadcast Corporation Even though the Danish government and ten thousand individuals and companies donated 54 mil- prior to parliamentary elections in lion DKK to humanitarian organisations’ HIV/AIDS work. November had drastically cut organi- As demonstrated when a group of women from the Danish sations’ information budget, particu- Liberal Party privately initiated “We remember Darfur” and larly impacting on our efforts to help raised more than 400,000 DKK in support of DanChurchAid’s pupils and others who seek knowledge health project for women in Darfur. about developing countries, we did, We have witnessed popular support for our humanitarian how ever, succeed in visualising and work both on a daily basis and through specific events where demonstrating that assistance from thousands of Danes volunteer their assistance; in our second- Danes does make a difference. hand shops, at Roskilde Music Festival, in the senior network, In the government’s new policy, as volunteers abroad, as youth volunteers, in our shop ‘fisk’ which in principle has broken with or by participating in activities which help visualise and sup- the earlier bloc policy, it is mentioned port work among the world’s poor and excluded. that Danish development assistance Many individuals and companies chose to support our should increase again from the pre- long-term development work by purchasing Christmas sent 0.8 percent of GDI. gifts from the Give-a-Goat campaign. DanChurchAid This is a positive sign for the world’s made it clear that the concept “humanitarian gifts” is poor and DanChurchAid will actively one of many ways in which Danes may support, get more work for this promise to be fulfilled. knowledge as well as commit themselves to development Kirsten Lund Larsen CHAIRPERSON problems. Henrik Stubkjær GENERAL SECRETARY 3 2007 During the year thousands of volunteers have taken part in supporting Dan- ChurchAid’s work in Denmark and in visualising the work abroad. SECOND-HAND Five new second-hand shops were opened and in total our 114 second- hand shops have raised almost 16 million DKK for our work among the world’s poorest. FISK In Copenhagen our shop ‘fisk’ was selected “The best second-hand shop in the city” by AOK’s (the website All about Copenhagen) users because ‘fisk’ “unites charity with guarantee for style “. Unfortunately the shop ‘fisk’ in Aarhus had to close after having distinguishedly represented DanChurchAid to the public. The turnover did not match the volunteers’ efforts and creative ideas. FUNDRAISING DanChurchAid participated when the Denmark Collection was held for the first time and we received 9 million of the 54 million DKK which was raised for the fight against AIDS. Just two weeks later Danes demonstrated once again their will to support the fight against AIDS when thousands of volunteers and collection leaders collected no less than 13.8 million DKK at the parish collection on the 4 March. GRAPHI C S KIT HALDING + ANNE MOUSTEN ROSKILDE FESTIVAL almost drowned in mud. Nevertheless the volunteers held out and ensured a fantastic collection of refundable bottles, cans and plastic cups amounting to 600,000 DKK, and 8,000 festival participants signed a petition for the EU to lighten the trade barriers which contribute to maintaining Africa captured in poverty. The volunteers handed over the mud-stained signatures to EU’s Agriculture and Rural Development Comissioner Mariann Fischer Boel. THE POOREST DanChurchAid’s work is focused on the most disadvantaged population groups in poor countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe/Central Asia, the Middle East and Central America. This goes for both immediate relief assistance to those affected by war and natural disasters and for our more long-term work for reconstruction and develop- ment. DanChurchAid works with democracy and human rights, food security, HIV/AIDS, refu- gees and internally displaced people, and humanitarian mine action. We work with Dalits in India, with internal refugees in DR Congo and with the most vulnerable and oppressed population groups in many other countries. DanChurchAid is present with emergency aid when a disaster strikes and with emergency preparedness to help people withstand emergencies. We focus on the consequences of climate change – drought, floods and hurricanes - and how they can affect the poorest population groups. HUMAN RIGHTS DanChurchAid believes in rights-based development. We work to change structures and remove barriers that maintain the individual in poverty and oppression. 4 PHOTO HEIDI LUNDSGÅRD CHARITY BUTTON Customers have responded well to the cha- rity button on the refund ma- chines in 14 Kvickly Xtra stores where customers can choose to donate all or part of their refund to UNICEF Denmark and Dan- ChurchAid. FACE2FACE Since November our Facers have worked with a new concept for pedestrians: “Become a life saver!” Live savers become members of DanChurchAid and their monthly subscription contributes directly to the survival of people all over the world. 1,100 new life savers joined us during the last two months of 2007. GIVE-A-GOAT 2007 ended well as the Give-a-goat campaign sold Christmas gifts to the Danish population for more than seven million DKK. The Christmas sale was accompa- nied by extensive press coverage of the concept of hu- manitarian Christmas gifts and thus contributed to rai- sing awareness and debate about development work and the desire to give. PHOTO MIKE KOLL ÖFF EL We work for gender equality and for empowering the individual to fight for her own rights and possibi- lities. In many countries governments neglect the poorer section of the population when it comes to health, access to justice, and to education. In close cooperation with our partners, DanChurchAid faci- litates the organisation of marginalised population groups to express their demands for food, health, education and a dignified life. We also support local and international networks that can influence politicians and other decision- makers, and DanChurchAid is a member of the international church-related network, Action by Churches Together (ACT). PARTNERSHIP Churches and progressive forces in civil society play a significant role, not least in advoca- ting the cause of oppressed and marginalised groups and individuals. DanChurchAid works through local partners: Christian – but also Hindu, Muslim and secular - development organisations, human rights groups, health and agricultural organisations. This develops local ownership and commitment to projects and programmes, and the partnership ensures that the relief reaches the poorest and that projects can continue when and if DanChurchAid withdraws. 5 AFTER THE WAR in In the eastern part of DR Congo the internally displaced and re- Africa´s largest coun- fugees were able to go home after the fields had been cleared of try, Sudan, many pro- mines. DanChurchAid has also distributed seed grain, livestock blems remained in im- and tools to 4,000 families to help them initiate a new life. plementing the peace treaty from 2005. The EFFORTS AGAINST HIV/AIDS In Zambia and Malawi we have population in South strengthened our work with information, prevention and tre- Sudan and millions of atment. An extended distribution of the life-prolonging ARV internally-displaced are medicine has resulted in more people being HIV tested and still in need of schools, speaking openly of their status. The extensive poverty espe- roads, health clinics cially in the rural areas does, however, still make it difficult for and, not least of all, in- many to get access to medicine and nutritious food which is fluence on central poli- a precondition for the effectiveness of ARV medicine. tical prioritizations. In Uganda with two million orphans we focus on children’s DanChurchAid has hel- rights. Support for home care and micro credit are also part ped develop the rural of our efforts against HIV/AIDS. In Tanzania 60,000 young population’s possibili- people have received training which has resulted in a later ties for supplying their sexual début, more extensive use of condoms and fewer families with foodstuff, partners. reconstructing schools and has supported lo- RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY Church-related and popular orga- cal peace processes.